Remembrances
by Cariel
Summary: Ever since childhood, Dormé found refuge in a childhood friend.


A long time ago, in the city of Uriash, there lived a girl. This young girl had long, brown hair, dark eyes, and freckles decorating her cheeks. Instead of having her hair done up nicely, it usually hung low on her brow in massive tangles, for her mother never paid enough attention to her to teach her how to brush it or tend to it properly. Nor was this young girl often seen in pretty dresses, for she only had two dresses and neither fit her very well. Just as soon as she grew into them, they were too tight and had many patches. Her shoes were also either too big or too small, with very little time in which they actually fit her well and she often had to go to work in these shoes whether it hurt or not.

Though this young girl worked long hours in a local factory, she never complained. She didn't complain if there wasn't enough to eat or if she was too cold during the winter or too hot during the summer. She learnt at an early age that such complaining would lead to punishment. Her father never punished her. It was only her mother who dealt out the punishments and there were many times when she avoided her mother altogether if possible. It seemed she had magic powers because she always knew whenever the young girl failed to do something the correct way or in the allotted time. No matter what the young girl did to try to earn her mother's love, it was never enough and was never good enough. It seemed that whatever she did, her mother would never love her the way the young girl saw other mothers act with their children.

The young girl's father was rarely at home, but whenever he was, he would often take the time to be with the young girl if he wasn't intoxicated. Even though there weren't any hugs like the young girl saw in other families, her father always talked in a low, warm voice that made her feel important if not loved. He always looked her in the eye and would give her an extra piece of bread or a vegetable when her mother wasn't looking. It was small things like this that later informed her that her father loved her, even if he didn't know how to properly show it.

But then there was a time when her father didn't come home for several days. Local authorities came by their home and spoke to the young girl's mother using very big words that the young girl didn't understand. Eventually, her father came home, but he wasn't the same as he used to be. He had wounds all over his face and what she could see of his body. The young girl asked if he was OK, but he refused to look at her or say anything to her. The young girl's parents argued, but this time it was louder and meaner than she had ever heard the pair argue before. The young girl sought refuge in her tiny room, hiding under her ratty blanket and plugging her ears tightly. She hummed and sang to herself to block out the noise until she fell asleep.

In her dreams, the young girl met a boy about the same age as her if not a few years older. He also had unkempt hair and his formerly pale-coloured clothing was filled with stains and dirt. But he had a smile on his face that the young girl knew was just for her. It made her cheeks warm as she went to sit next to him. He spoke in a language she didn't understand, but he was patient with her and used hand gestures to explain things. It wasn't long before the young boy took her hand and they raced off to play.

She didn't know that she often met this boy in her dreams, especially when she was troubled. In her dreams, the pair soon became able to understand each other without words. However, every time she dreamt of her friend, she forgot it in the morning.

Though the young girl went to sleep in a bad frame of mind, she awoke feeling that today was going to be a good day. She couldn't remember anything from her dream, but put on her shoes and went straight to work, hoping she would be there early enough to have some bread and milk if there was any leftover from the night before.

However, when the young girl arrived at the factory, she found her co-workers out on the street, staring up at the factory's walls. All of them were children under the age of fourteen, some who had worked in the factory their entire life, knowing no other world than this.

One of the older children spoke up: '_Aṣbassu ki kalbim ina kisadisu_, I would ring him by his neck like a dog, if I had the opportunity…'

'_Na urugalshe baraed_, He can go to hell,' another commented.

The girl assumed they were talking about their boss, the owner of the factory who was a big bully.

'_Aka-um?_ What's happened?' the young girl's friend asked as she came over to the ever-increasing crowd.

An older boy informed them, '_Isthab namursanen sag-ah usgídda arah. Sandub mo… _The Jedi have come and closed the factory. Even the regular workers have nowhere to go.'

'_Namursanen um? _What is _namursanen_?' the young girl asked.

'_Saabarra_ bastards,' the boy replied.

'_Ke ishtab! Sala silim,kug a-tuku! Sadinirreene!_ You're an idiot! They are holy men with mighty powers. The gods have chosen them,' the eldest of the group chided.

Curses and swearing are common words in the young girl's vocabulary, so it came as no surprise to her to hear her co-workers cursing about the closure of the factory. The girl didn't know what was going on, only that they were all now out of work without any place to go.

The young girl also knew her parents would be very angry and disappointed in her now that she had no income to provide. She tore away from the crowd and tried to find a place where she could be alone. Tears flooded her eyes as she ran and even though she didn't want anyone to see her like this, she couldn't help crying. She ran until she was out of breath and had to stop. The girl looked up at the sky, wondering if there were any gods at all and why they would do this. Had they no mercy?

But as she sat down, trying to stop herself from crying as she thought about how angry her parents were going to be when she told them the news, a young boy approached and sat down next to her. She didn't know he was there until he spoke softly to her. Not understanding what he was saying, she looked up in confusion.

It was then that her tears stopped as she examined the unfamiliar boy with the funny braid and dirty clothes that almost matched her own in hue. His hand patted her shoulder as he spoke more in a strange tongue. 'Ke am?' she asked, wondering who he was.

He furrowed his brow and looked at her in an expression of confusion that she recently wore. He then replied in the strange language and shook his head, smiling.

'_Anaku_, Dormé,' the girl said, pointing to herself. Pointing to him, she asked again, '_Ke am_?'

A look of realization crossed the young boy's face as he replied, 'Anakin.'

Dormé smiled at him and tried repeating his name until she had it memorised. She then tried to explain why she was sad. She used many hand gestures, pointing to the factory as she explained that she worked there. She didn't know how much her new friend understood, but did her best in telling him. She knew he wasn't a local and wondered if he was one of the _namursanen_.

'_Namursanen_?' she asked, pointing to him once more, but it was clear that he had no idea what she was asking. She sighed.

He said a few words and left her sitting there. As she didn't have anything else to do, save to go home which was something she regretted, she remained sitting there, not believing that her friend would return.

However, the young girl was soon proved wrong as the young boy returned not very long afterward. He had a small knapsack with him that was of the local variety. Dormé recognised it as takeaway from a nearby shop. Though she hadn't ever had a chance to eat there, she smelled them baking each morning and the savoury smells made her hungry.

The young boy sat down next to her once more and offered half of his sandwich to her.

Dormé looked at Anakin carefully, making sure that it was all right before accepting it. She delighted in each bite, though she didn't take very many bites before it was gone. But she found that it was all right because the boy also ate quickly. She smiled. '_Sag dusa_,' she said, trying to express her thanks to her newfound friend.

He waved a hand as he smiled, revealing some food stuck in his teeth.

She motioned to her own teeth and then pointed to his. She watched his cheeks redden as he understood and fished out the stuck food. She nodded in reassurance that it was indeed gone.

With renewed hope and energy, Dormé decided to show her friend one of her favourite places to go on her way home from the factory. It was a short path just out of the way of the normal flow of traffic. There was a pond and some overgrown shrubbery along with wildflowers. She took off her shoes, revealing her dirty and feet covered in sores before putting them into the pond. She gestured for him to do the same, but he looked scared. She decided to help him out and once he was sitting next to her, she tried to take off his boots, but they were too complicated for her.

After Anakin took off his boots, Dormé took his hand and nodded with a smile, trying to assure him that it was OK to put his feet in the small pond. Once he was comfortable enough, she moved her feet up and down in the water and poked him in the leg to get him to try it too. The cool water felt good against her injured feet and she could already tell that it was going to be a hot day.

Thoughts of the closed factory slipped away as she spent more time with her new friend. After cooling off in the pond, Dormé was loathed to put her shoes on again as they explored the fauna surrounding the pond. She pointed out her favourite flowers, even though she knew he didn't know what she was saying.

She wondered at the silver metal thing hanging by his side and marvelled when he lit up the glowing blue sword. However, she was quite startled when he hacked away at some of the brush. She hadn't expected the sword to do that and touched the burnt leftovers of the brush. She felt bad that they were now demolished.

Anakin hooked it back on his belt soon after that and didn't use it again.

Dormé heard the voice of an older man calling Anakin's name and the boy looked sadly at her as he tried to explain something that she didn't understand. The older man approached and spoke in the same language as the boy, looking at her curiously, but not addressing her.

The boy looked sadly at her as he spoke softly, but before he left, he reached into one of the pouches on his belt. He took out something that sparkled and placed it in her hand.

Dormé examined the blue crystal, not understanding what it was, but finding that it was beautiful. She didn't make the connection between the crystal and the sword. When she attempted to return the crystal to Anakin, he put his hand around her own which held the stone. She understood that he wanted her to keep it.

He gestured to the retreating form of the older man and she bit her lip, knowing that he had to go. She quickly fetched one of her favourite flowers and handed it to him. It wasn't much, certainly not as nice as the crystal he gave her, but she wanted him to have something to remember her by in return.

She was surprised when he pulled her into a tight hug which took a moment for her to get used to. But then, something within her seemed to click and she hugged him back tightly in return.

Dormé never forgot that moment as long as she lived.

* * *

Six years later, Dormé saw Anakin again, but it was clear that he didn't remember her. Though she was saddened by this, she didn't have the opportunity to speak to him because there were too many things going on. Now that she worked for the Naboo government, she had more commitments just as he had his own with the Jedi. When she attempted to speak with him, to introduce herself, his master or her mistress were always around which made things uncomfortable. Dormé didn't know how to speak to him and wondered if he remembered her. It was clear that he didn't recognise her, but she didn't think he would. After all, much had changed.

It wasn't long after this that Anakin married her mistress and everything she knew seemed to change overnight. She didn't know that the feeling she was experiencing was jealousy. She didn't understand it because she knew that she didn't even know Anakin that well. All she had was memories from a long time ago that might as well have been a dream. She didn't know that similar memories were what Anakin based his affections for her mistress on. She didn't know that it might have been enough to base a friendship or even a marriage on. If she had known this, she would have been even more troubled.

There was never time to speak to him, except it passing and she had a feeling that he didn't know her name, let alone separate her from the rest of the handmaidens. There were only a few instances when she would exchange messages with him as she was often the deliverer. There were a few occasions when she cooked food for him and tried to pass the time until her mistress arrived. Other than that, she barely saw him, though she read up on him in the holonews as often as possible.

In all of those instances, he never once asked her name and she was nothing more than a messenger, a go-between between him and his wife, a servant.

Even so, Dormé still found comfort in the blue crystal stone, given to her a lifetime ago by a little boy who believed in her, a little boy whose friendship gave her hope when she felt so lost. It was always easier for her to sleep with it clutched tightly in her left hand. Nothing else in her life felt as safe and as sure as this. No matter what structure her job had, no matter what releases she sought in the club scenes, none of it measured up to the way she felt refreshed in the morning after holding the gift in her hand as she slept. She still didn't remember the contents of her dreams, the balance she found there, but she felt the relief in the morning.

* * *

Eleven years since the day Dormé's life changed, she wandered the hallways of the Executor in a half asleep state. It had been months since she last set foot on solid ground and it was starting to wear at her psyche. Barefooted, though her small feet still bore the marks of trauma from childhood, and in her nightgown, she wandered the halls, unaware that she neared an area in which their commander, the ship's captain, often stood brooding.

With her hair unbound and falling past her shoulders, the young woman strolled down the hall with her friend's blue crystal in hand. She found a secluded place and lay down on the cushions normally meant for sitting.

The growling demand: 'What are you doing here?' awoke Dormé. Confused and wondering how she got there in the first place, she looked around before looking up at the towering form of Lord Vader. In her haste to stand, she accidentally dropped the crystal and the sound of it hitting the deck caused her to jump.

She dived for it, but Lord Vader picked it up before she had the chance.

'Where did you get this?' he asked.

'A friend gave it to me,' she told him honestly. 'I was maybe eleven years old at the time.' She didn't reveal the name of her friend, for it still hurt to think about the fact that he perished on Mustafar, a victim of the tragic war between the Separatists and the Empire.

Vader didn't say anything and Dormé knew she ought to leave. No one ever bothered the Sith Lord and if they did, they paid for it, usually with their life. She didn't care so much about her mortality rather about losing her job. 'May I have it back, milord?' she requested politely.

'What's your name?' the Sith Lord asked as he handed it back to her.

'Dormé,' she replied.

She had no idea what brought her there, but it was a repeated event. There was something about that place, or perhaps about the person that frequented the location, that drew her subconsciously, night after night.

'I didn't mean to wander here…I've been sleepwalking recently and I don't know what's brought it on. I didn't mean to disturb you,' she quickly apologised before making a polite bow and leaving him.

It wasn't the first time she wound up in Vader's private meditation chamber, nor would it be the last. However, it would be the last time that she was uninvited.


End file.
